Former Australian skipper Steve Waugh reckons Jasprit Bumrah and Virat Kohli’s performance will be crucial for India in Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India has won the last two Test series against Australia on the Australian soil and there is no doubt that the talismanic duo will hold the key.

Virat Kohli has scored 2042 runs in 25 Test matches against Australia at an average of 47.48, including eight centuries. Kohli has even better numbers while playing in Australia as he has scored 1352 runs in 13 Test matches at an impressive average of 54.08, including six centuries.

On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah has an impeccable record against Australia as he has scalped 32 wickets in seven Test matches at an average of 21.25. Bumrah has played all of the Test matches against Australia in the Australian conditions.

Steve Waugh said on IANS, “It’ll be a good series with two very good teams, equally matched. India has a good chance to win in Australia because they have a very strong bowling attack. With Bumrah, Siraj, and Shami, they have an excellent pace attack, and they also have many good spinners, such as Jadeja, Ashwin, and Kuldeep but the key will be Jasprit Bumrah’s performance with the ball and Virat Kohli’s performance with the bat.

“Bumrah is an excellent bowler, the more he takes wickets, the higher the chances of India winning the series gets high. We have seen Virat’s performance in away conditions. The Indian batting depends on him, so he will be at the helm. However, Australia has a very good team as well, with a strong bowling attack. So, with two high-quality teams, I expect it to be an excellent series,” the 59-year-old added.

Kohli and Bumrah will look to be at their best against Australia and continue their love affair with the opposition.

The opening Test match between India and Australia will be played at Perth from November 22 onwards.